


A Star That Fell

by writingtherevolution (greenmartini)



Series: Of Thunder and Lightning [2]
Category: One Direction (Band), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Death, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-03
Updated: 2016-05-03
Packaged: 2018-06-06 02:55:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6735031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/greenmartini/pseuds/writingtherevolution
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A battle to protect the town goes horribly awry, and Niall must deal with the fallout. Will he be able to make it passed the tragedy or will it haunt his life forever?</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Star That Fell

Niall blinked up at the blinding white ceiling, the stale taste of antiseptic sitting in his nose.

“Hey, you back with me?”

Niall looked over to the side and saw Bressie sitting in a chair that was too small for his tall body. He nodded softly, noting that his head still felt fuzzy around the edges, like he couldn’t entirely focus on what was in front of him.

“It’s about time you wake up, sleepy head. You were out for quite a while,” Bressie’s voice said quietly. “How are you feeling?”

“All right? I guess? What happened?”

“You don’t remember? Don’t fret, doctor said you might not remember it right away. Team Rocket invaded the town, you went out to be savior. Got banged up and knocked unconscious in the process. ”

“Are they gone?” Niall asked, quick glimpses of attacks hitting each other played through his head.

“Yeah, Chief, you got rid of them. Butch and Cassidy are being put away for good. Jolteon’s in bad shape though,” Bressie said in a whisper.

“How bad of shape are we talking? He’s been injured badly before and worked through it,” Niall said around his scratchy throat, dread sitting in the pit of his stomach as Brez refused to make eye contact.

“Bad enough that I’m springing you from here to take you to the Pokémon Center as soon as you think you can get that far,” Bressie said to his knees.

“Pac….Pachirisu was there too, is he okay?” Niall asked, almost not wanting to know the answer.

“He’s fine, just a deep cut and a sprained paw. Nurse Joy’s keeping him just to rest while you’re in here. Knew he wouldn’t leave you alone here if we didn’t. The boys have been taking turns staying with the two of them.”

“Can we go, I wanna go,” Niall said, trying to sit up, crying out when a wicked pain shot up his back.

“Slow down, Chief, when I said you were banged up, I meant it,” Bressie said, standing and easing Niall up into a sitting position. Niall looked over Bressie’s shoulder at the doctor that had been slowly entering the room. She was a taller woman, brunette hair tied up into a loose bun.

“Trying to get up and about so soon, Mr. Horan?” She asked, sliding her clipboard under her arm.

“Need to get to the Pokémon Center,” Niall replied, shoving against Bressie’s bulk as he tried to stand, the taller man’s hands pushing on his shoulders to keep him sitting.

“Let her check you over, Chief, make sure you’re good to leave.”

“’Good to leave’ is an understatement. I’d recommend at least another couple days here, you’re really bruised, Niall. You don’t feel it now but you will once the pain meds wear off,” the doctor said, concernedly.

“Can’t, gotta see Jolteon. Brez, let me up,” Niall said, trying again to push against Bressie.

Bressie looked over to the doctor, his brow furrowing in indecision.

The doctor sighed, and bit at her lower lip clearly debating in her head. “I’m granting you leave, but to be clear it’s only because of the situation at the Pokémon Center. If the pain starts to get overwhelming I need you to promise me that you’ll come back. You won’t be walking anywhere, either. You’re being wheeled everywhere you go, and I’m expecting Bressie to reinforce that no matter how much you fight it, are we clear gentlemen?” Niall looked up at the doctor and nodded, seeing Bressie do the same out of the corner of his eye. “Very well. If you want to then start getting Niall dressed, I think Harry put clothes in the backpack on the floor there. I’ll be back in about fifteen minutes with your discharge papers and a small prescription,” she said before she walked out the door.

“Wait, Brez, did she say Harry brought the backpack? He was in Cherrydale! That’s a week’s walk away! I wasn’t out for a week was I!?”

“No, Chief, no, you were out for a day, it’s only Wednesday. I don’t know who it was but one of the boys called Harry and he got a ride back. He claimed ‘someone had to take care of the homestead’ and gave everybody chores to do last checked. Think he’s just trying to keep everybody distracted,” Bressie said, pulling out a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt.

 “Brez, if you wanted me naked you should’ve just said something,” Niall quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

“Obviously don’t know me too well then Chief, would think after all these years you would know I always want you undressed,” Bressie smiled, slipping the shirt over Niall’s head.

“Everybody decent in here?” The doctor asked, knocking lightly on the door.

“Niall is, can’t say the same about me though,” Bressie called back.

The doctor eased the door in and peered sideways, a blush staining the tops of her cheeks. “I really didn’t know if you were serious or not,” she said to Bressie as she walked in.

“You have some deep bruising on your left shoulder blade and your right hip. Nothing that should cause any lasting problems, but the depth of the bruising is going to cause you pain for quite a bit. And, and I can’t stress this enough,” she said looking Niall straight in the eye, “If you feel even the slightest bit dizzy or dazed, you come back straight away, are we clear?”

Niall swallowed and looked at the ceiling, “We’re clear.”

“You get his prescription,” the doctor said pressing the script into Bressie’s hand. “Make sure he doesn’t take it any more than it says to or it’ll mess him up, and not in a good way.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Bressie replied, nodding seriously. He grabbed at Niall’s right foot, smoothing out his crumpled sock before slipping his trainer on, then doing the . “Ready, Chief?”

“Yep, as soon as we can.”

The doctor pulled the paperwork out of her coat pocket. “Okay, Horan, who’s signing, you or hubby?”

“I can,” Niall said reaching his hand out.

“Read over it, it goes over what we talked about and instructions on icing the bruising and when to take the meds, and a promise to come back and see me in a month if I don’t need to see you before then.”

Niall only looked at the words on the page long enough to figure out where he needed to sign, scribbling a vague caricature of his usual neat script. He handed the papers back to the doctor and she gave him his copy. “We can leave now?”

“Yes, yes you can.”

Niall picked up the backpack from the bed and slung it over his shoulder, groaning lowly at the pain.  Niall felt a pinch at the back of his neck and he leaned back to glare at Bressie, passing the backpack off to him instead.  “Thank you for everything,” he said looking at the doctor earnestly.

“You’re welcome, Niall. Get him out of here, Brez, before he runs over there.”

Bressie scratched his fingers against Niall’s scalp on the slow elevator ride down to the ground floor. “Calm down, Niall, getting worked up isn’t gonna help anyone. We’ll be there in just a few minutes.”

\---

True to Bressie’s word, the trip over to the Pokémon Center didn’t take long at all, and soon Nurse Joy was ushering the two back to where Jolteon was resting. Niall saw Liam sitting in a chair next to the bed, stroking through Jolteon’s fur. He stood up in surprise when he saw Bressie and Niall walking through the door.

“Ni, didn’t expect to see you here so soon, how are you feeling?” Liam said, walking over and giving Niall a light hug.

“Had better days, how’s he doing?” Niall asked.

“Hanging in there for now.”

Niall worked his way onto the side of the bed, laying down next to Jolteon on the soft mattress. The sickly Pokémon opened his eyes slightly to see who had joined it before shutting them softly again. Niall looked Jolteon over. There were deep gashes sewn shut in the Pokémon’s skin and blood still caked part of his bright yellow fur.

“Hey, Jolteon, glad to see those eyes open. Have to thank you for battling to hard for me yesterday. You saved everyone, me and the town included. I know you’re in a lot of pain right now. You can relax. I’m here with you now,” Niall scooted closer so he was pressed up against Jolteon as best as he could be. “Here to protect you,” Niall said petting Jolteon, scratching lightly between his jaw and his pointed ears, though they didn’t twitch like the usually did when Niall touched there. “I just want you to know that I’m so proud of you, so very proud, and I love you a lot. If you feel like you need to let go, go ahead. Don’t be afraid, I’ll be here with you the whole time. You’ve been brave enough for the two of us this week, let me share some of that burden.”

Niall continued to stroke over Jolteon’s fur. He was lying close enough that he could feel the soft breaths as Jolteon breathed. Behind him, Bressie and Liam didn’t make a sound. The room was enveloped in a serene silence, away from the hustle and the bustle that could usually be heard from the front of the Pokémon Center where he usually was. The breaths Jolteon was taking were becoming fewer and further between.

“Shhh. You’re okay,” Niall reiterated softly, beginning to repeat it over and over to the quiet room. He wasn’t sure anymore if he was trying to convince Jolteon or himself. He held his breath, trying to match Joleton’s, and after his lungs started burning he let out a soft ‘no’ when he realized there was nothing to match his breathing against any longer. “No, no no no. _Noooo_.”

Niall heard a chocked sob behind him before the room’s door was opened and shut. Then he felt a large hand rest against the back of his neck, applying pressure in comfort.

“I’m so sorry, Niall,” the blonde heard Bressie say quietly.

Niall couldn’t bring himself to respond. He just lay watching Jolteon not move, cold dread sinking into his bones at the realization that he had just lost one of his closest and longest friends had just left him.

The door opened again behind them and quick, light footsteps lead Nurse Joy to the other side of the bed. “Oh my,” she said quietly. Niall watched as her soft hands skimmed over Jolteon’s fur, looking for a sign of life he knew she wasn’t going to find. Her hand stopped moving over the Pokémon, and instead rested on top of Niall’s where she squeezed gently to gain his attention. “I’ll, uh, I’ll give you a few minutes to say your goodbyes,” she said, leaning over to press a light kiss to the side of Niall’s head.

Nothing was said in the room for a few long, long minutes. The clock ticked gently on the wall, and the door to the room must have been opened because Niall could hear people and Pokémon alike scurrying by. Niall pushed himself up on his elbows and wrapped his arms around Jolteon, pushing his face into the soft fur of his neck. “I owe you everything,” he mumbled quietly. “I hope one day you’ll forgive me for our journey ending like this.” He nuzzled into the Pokémon’s neck before placing a single kiss on his snout before he pushed himself up into a sitting position, Bressie’s hand never leaving the back of Niall’s neck.

“How about we head outside for some fresh air?” His husband asked, leaning down so they were at eye level.

Not knowing what else to do Niall looked up at Bressie and gave a short nod before slowly getting up off the bed and leaning into Bressie’s warm embrace. With a strong arm around Niall’s shoulders, the two left the room walking passed Nurse Joy who had been waiting in the hallway.

Niall gave her a sad, barely there smile as he walked passed, following Bressie’s guiding arm. They made it a long way down the hallway before Niall paused. “Wait,” he said, tugging on Bressie’s sleeve, not sure if the taller man had heard him. It felt like he didn’t have a voice anymore, the way the words stuck in his throat.

Bressie turned around, looking down at Niall curiously, a wrinkle between his brow. “What’s up, Chief?”

“Can we go see Pachirisu instead?” Niall asked, his hands playing with the hem of his t-shirt.

Bressie’s face softened and he nodded quickly. “Yeah, yeah we can do that,” Bressie said, turning Niall back around gently. They walked a short distance down the hallway until Bressie pushed open a door to their right.

Niall smiled a bit when he walked inside, amused by the sight in the room. Louis was reclining on the bed with Pachirisu in his stomach, the little electric squirrel doing anything but resting. Niall’s smile faded when he saw the long cut down the white of Pachirisu’s back, although the Pokémon didn’t seem disturbed about it in the slightest. Instead, the Pokémon was rubbing at Louis’ face, the brunette laughing at its antics.

Louis looked over and grinned when he saw Niall. “Hey, was just keeping Pachi company, how’s everything down the hall?” Bressie must have made a motion of some sorts over his head because Louis’ face immediately fell. “Oh no, no. I’m sorry, Ni.” Louis sat up slightly, displacing Pachirisu. The little Pokémon bounded in joy when he spotted Niall, jumping off the bed and bounding into Niall’s arms.

“Hey, Bud, glad to see you’re okay,” Niall said to the little squirrel, running his hand from Pachirisu’s head to the tip of its fluffy fluffy tail.  

“Chi-pa!” The Pokémon chirped, adjusting itself higher to get to Niall’s face. Little paws started rubbing at the thicker skin of Niall’s cheeks.

“He’s been doing that to me all morning, why does he do it?” Louis asked from the bed, sitting at its edge now.

“It’s, it’s silly, but when Pachirisu and Pichu get hurt or after a good battle or training session, Niall sits down with them and massage their electric pouches. It makes them feel better because they’re usually really sore after using electric moves because that’s where it gets concentrated. It’s what makes the Pokémon feel good, so they do it in return when they know you’re feeling unwell, because that’s just how they think you’re gonna feel better,” Bressie explained, sitting next to Louis and watching Niall and Pachirisu interact.

“So they rub me because they think my electric sacs hurt? That’s a new one,” Louis said laughing at Bressie’s explanation.

“True though, isn’t it, Little One?” Niall asked Pachirisu, rubbing his nose against the Pokémon’s. He was still sad about Jolteon’s passing, had the feeling he would be for years to come, but he knew with the help of his other Pokémon, his friends and the love of his life, he would get through it and make new memories on his journey.

 

\-----  


 

A few hours later after taking care of the details with Nurse Joy, Niall found himself back at his house, Pachirisu curled up on his shoulder, his prescription crinkling in the bag clutched in his hand. The weight of the day was wearing on his battered body, and all he wanted to do was lay down for a while. Harry walked out of the kitchen and into the hallway, drying his hands on a dishtowel. “Heyyy!” Harry walked over and hugged Niall, jostling Pachirisu who then climbed on top of Harry instead, liking the taller man’s long hair.

“Hey yourself, you shouldn’t even be here right now,” Niall said into his shoulder.

“Awe why’s that? Am I not wanted anymore?” Harry replied cheekily, backing up and scratching at Pachirisu’s side. “You still want me, don’t you Pachi?”

“That’s far from the truth and you know it, Harry. You’re supposed to be in Cherrydale! There’s a contest in two days!”

Harry gave an audible sigh, “I know, Niall. Very aware of that.” Harry reached into his back pocket and pulled out a little case, handing it out to Niall.

Gently taking the case from Niall’s hand, Niall looked in awe at the ribbon nestled softly in the middle. It was a bright gold yellow around the edge, and the inside was a dark, wild cherry red. “The Cherry Ribbon…”

“The Cherry Ribbon,” Harry parroted. “You were the last person I owed one too. Pichu was amazing. Wore him out though, he was up sleeping on your bed. Took Bressie’s pillow, of course, learned from the best,” Harry smiled, tapping Niall on the end of the nose. *

Niall didn’t respond to Harry. Instead, he kept looking down at the ribbon shining in the case.

“I’m…I have to say I’m sorry, Niall,” Harry said, far from his usual cheery self.

“Why? For what?” Niall asked, finally tearing his eyes away from the ribbon.

“For not taking Jolteon like I was going to. I was supposed to take him to Cherrydale with me and compete. If I would have taken him, he’d still be here…” Harry started.

“Stop. Just…just stop,” Niall said. “Don’t…don’t think like that. What happened happened, we can’t change it. If you took him instead of Pichu he might still be here, but it might have been Pichu or Pachirisu in his place then. Hell, it could have even been me that didn’t make it. We can’t dwell on it, just have to come to terms from it and use the strength he instilled in us to move forward,” Niall finished, his voice the strongest it’s been since he woke up that morning.

Harry smiled sadly at Niall and nodded. “Just wanted you to know, I am sorry for your loss. He was a great member of our family.”

“I appreciate that, I’m probably going to just go and join Pichu upstairs, it’s been a long day,” Niall said, patting Harry on the shoulder as he passed, smiling at Pachirisu nibbling at the ends of Harry’s hair.

“Oh, fair warning, next year I’m stealing Pachirisu. I don’t know what it is with you and cute little powerfully threatening fuzzballs, but the audience and the judges eat them right up. Isn’t that right my little monster?” Harry asked Pachirisu, picking him up and holding him over his head while spinning in a circle. Niall laughed out loud when he heard Pachirisu’s Spark and Harry’s shriek from the shock. He knew then they’d be all right, they’d get through this as a family.

**Author's Note:**

> *I have this head!canon that every year Harry competes in the Cherrydale contest with a Pokemon that's not his own, instead he borrows them from friends and relatives, just to give himself a fresh challenge away from his normal contest battles after the first year he has done them. Harry never counts the Cherry Ribbon as one of the five he needs for the Grand Festival. The past four years he was victorious, first with his own Pokemon, then with Louis', Zayn's, and finally Liam's (who was most hesitant to let his Pokemon battle with another trainer), so that left Niall that didn't have a Cherry Ribbon up until this point. He gives the ribbons to the Pokemon's trainer as a sign that the Pokemon themselves are strong in their own right, though he firmly believes the strength increases with the Pokemon and their regular trainer battling side by side.


End file.
